The Tutor

Chapter 2

(AN: As usual for me, I forgot the disclaimer. I don't own Gundam Wing or any of it's characters. Sometimes, we play poker together and talk, but that's about it. I let them win, unless it's strip poker, of course. Niceness will only get you so far in life.)

(AN2: This fiction is not true to the series, it's AU, but I'm trying to keep true to the characters, which I happen to like the way they are. This is my first AU fiction in any anime. And it's my first attempt at what Wufei would call tong xing lian or shounen-ai. Yes, I tried to learn some Chinese to write this thing. I don't speak Chinese, just to be clear. Okay, just enough to offend someone. That's it.)

"Wufei, over here, dude!" yelled Duo across the study hall.

Wufei craned his neck to look over the tables and finally saw Duo jumping up and down, his hand waving in the air. He had on a short tight black t- shirt that barely met the top of his very loose-fitting jeans and every time he jumped up, a flash of pale belly was exposed, as was the top of his red boxers.

Wufei almost laughed. There was a dress code about wearing jeans that loose, but Duo flaunted authority in subtle ways at every turn. His long braided hair for instance. Wufei also wore his hair in a ponytail, but he'd never gotten any flack about it.

He wondered if it was because everyone assumed it was a cultural thing. Strike another blow for the desire of the majority to be politically correct with minorities, he thought wryly. Actually, he just liked his hair long. Cut short, it tended to stick up, which he hated.

Duo's excuse this morning was that he'd grabbed his older brother's pants out of the laundry this morning. "Sorry, won't happen again," he'd said casually to the vice-principal who caught him in the hallway, grinning his carefree grin.

The man grinned back at Duo and shooed him down the hallway before he was late for class.

Wufei raised his own hand in acknowledgment and walked over to the table Duo had claimed.

"Ready to be tutored, Tutor," said Duo, putting his sneakered feet on the table and munching a candy bar. Wufei noted he had no socks on.

"Do you live on junk food?' asked Wufei, watching Duo devour the Snickers bar in 3 bites.

"Whenever possible," said Duo, with a mock serious look on his face.

"We can start on your second assignment today," said Wufei. "Did you turn in the first one?" he asked.

"Yep," said Duo. "Got a B+ on it too. Thanks," he said, sitting up. He crammed the candy bar wrapper in one of his numerous pockets.

"You're capable of getting a A," said Wufei, frowning.

"Well, I got a B+, okay," said Duo in a slightly irritable tone.

"I don't mean to nag you," said Wufei, sitting down and putting on his reading glasses. "I just want to see you do well."

"Why?" asked Duo leaning forward suddenly, "What's it to you?"

Wufei looked up. Duo was looking at him intensely, the upper half of his body invading Wufei's zone of personal space enough that he started to feel uneasy.

He pulled back. "I, um, I don't know, I just want you to see what you're really capable of. You're smarter than you think," he ended lamely.

"I know I'm not too dumb," said Duo, leaning back, "But I just don't care that much about school. I mean, when are we going to use this junk?"

"I honestly don't know," said Wufei honestly, his eyes widening slightly and Duo smirked. "See, even a bright guy like you doesn't know," he crowed.

"To go to college?" said Wufei suddenly. "I mean, you need good grades to go to college."

"Feh!" said Duo dismissively. "Don't know if that's for me," he shrugged.

"You're smart enough!" said Wufei, looking over his glasses at Duo. "You just need to work harder!"

"Just drop it, okay," Duo said, that tone of irritation returning to his voice.

Wufei was beginning to notice that certain topics were taboo with Duo after a week of getting to know him.

One was family, another was grades and the future.

Duo apparently wanted to exist for the moment and worry about the future later. When it became the now.

He changed the subject. "So, one more assignment after this and you won't need me to be your jia ting anymore."

"My what?" asked Duo, whose attention was starting to wander.

"Jia ting" repeated Wufei. "Tutor."

Duo's face dropped. "I guess we won't be hanging out together anymore, then, right?"

He looked so depressed that Wufei felt a surge of compassion for him. "No, we can still hang out," he said, "I mean, I'd like that if you would."

"Really?" said Duo, his face lighting up.

Wufei had never been around anyone whose emotions so clearly readable. Duo's eyes in particular seemed exemplify that expression about eyes being the 'window to the soul'.

"Sure, we're friends, right?" said Wufei, casually so as not to embarrass Duo. He had a feeling that underneath Duo's friendly and open demeanor, he was somewhat sensitive and proud.

"Wanna go see a movie?" asked Duo out of nowhere. "Do you like horror movies?"

Wufei looked down at the table. "I have to tell you something," he said quietly.

"What?" asked Duo.

"I've never been to a horror movie, so I don't know if I like them or not," admitted Wufei.

Duo barked out a short laugh that made several people look in their direction for a second.

"You're kidding!" he exclaimed.

"No," said Wufei, now a little embarrassed.

"Well, well, well, a horror movie virgin," Duo smirked and rubbed his hands together. "We're gonna have to do sumthin about that."

Wufei unconsciously squirmed in his seat at Duo's tone.

"Friday night, you are goin' with me to see 'The Ring', Wu-dude," he announced in dramatic tones.

Wufei looked up.

He was pinned by that intense dark blue violet stare.

"Okay," he said, his mouth suddenly dry.

"You're not gonna be scared, now, are you?" asked Duo in a teasing voice.

"Of course not!" exclaimed Wufei.

"Cuz if you get scared, I'll hold your little hand," said Duo in the same teasing voice.

"Duo!" said Wufei, now blushing hotly, looking around to see if anyone else had heard. "Quit teasing me, please!"

"Okay," said Duo relenting. "I made you blush though," he said triumphantly.

"We need to get to work," said Wufei quietly.

"I'll be a good boy," said Duo, sitting next to Wufei and looking over his shoulder. "I forgot my book, so we'll have to share yours, okay?"

Wufei was uncomfortably aware of Duo's presence now, his breathing and even his scent, which was slightly redolent of chocolate, clean sweat and herbal hair conditioner.

He thought about asking Duo to move over, but was afraid he'd take it the wrong way. He decided to ignore it and focus on the book in front of them.

"This is about the Neo-Classical period in English literature," began Wufei and they were soon absorbed in another lesson.

Duo, likewise, was becoming aware of a pleasant smell of something spicy he thought might be sandalwood that eminanted from the Chinese boy, and his flawless caramel complexion. Strong, angular features and almond shaped brown eyes so dark they appeared black were a sharp contrast to his own heart-shaped face, pale skin and round blue eyes. He decided that Wufei was good-looking, in a dramatic, somewhat exotic manner.

Before they realized the time had passed, the bell rang for dismissal.

"So, you wanna meet me in front of the Cine-plex at 7:00 tomorrow night?" asked Duo. "It's Friday tomorrow, no school Saturday, so your parents shouldn't mind."

Wufei nodded. "Or you could just come to my house," he said. "I'll write down my address and phone number for you." He tore off a sheet of notebook paper and quickly wrote down the information in his neat handwriting.

"In fact, come early and we'll finish the assignment together. You can meet my family," said Wufei.

"Only in my case, it's my mom and my lao lao, um, that's Grandmother," he said. "My dad and mom are divorced."

"Oh," said Duo. "Well I only got my aunt and uncle, my mom and dad died in a car accident when I was little. And my big brother, Solo, of course."

"You're gonna have to teach me some Chinese so I don't keep looking stupid when you spring these little words on me," said Duo, grinning.

"It's not hard," said Wufei.

"Not for you!" said Duo.

Wufei chuckled. "I guess the sounds are kind of different."

"I'll teach you some right now," he said "Shi bai shi cheng gong zhi mu."

"What does that mean?" asked Duo listening intently.

" 'Failure is the mother of success'," said Wufei. "It's a proverb."

"Cool," said Duo. "I'll try to remember it."

He walked off with his usual bouncing step and Wufei watched that braid slapping against the seat of his overly large jeans and had to smile.

The doorbell at Wufei's home rang at 6:00 and Wufei ran downstairs to open the door.

Duo stood there, the piece of notebook paper with the address on it in his hand and blinked in the porch light.

"I guess this is the right place," he said. "I borrowed my brother's car and drove over. I have to have it back by 10:00, he's gotta date, though," said Duo.

Wufei nodded and motioned Duo to come in and shut the door behind him.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to Lao Lao," said Wufei. "Mom had to work late at the hospital, she's a lab technician," explained Wufei.

A small elderly Chinese woman sat in a recliner watching television in the living room and Wufei brought Duo over, his hand on Duo's elbow.

"Grandmother, this is Duo," he said in Mandarin. "She doesn't like to speak English, but she can," he said to Duo.

"Ni hao*," said Duo, making Wufei's eyebrows shoot to the top of his head.

Wufei's grandmother smiled at him and said something he didn't understand, so he just nodded pleasantly.

"I said that right, didn't I?" he said, turning to Wufei.

"Yes," said Wufei, "I'm impressed."

"I asked someone at the Chinese grocery in my neighborhood," he said, grinning.

"Duo and I are going to study and then go to a movie," said Wufei to his grandmother. She nodded. "I'll be back before 10:00, Lao Lao," he bent over and gave her a small peck on the cheek.

She turned back to her television program.

Wufei and Duo got into the car. It was a black late model two door coupe, and had seen better days bodywise. "You got your license, Wufei?" asked Duo.

"Yes, but I don't drive a lot," said Wufei. "I got an A in driver's ed., though."

Duo laughed. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Wufei looked at him across the front seat. "Are you making fun of me," he asked seriously.

"No, not really," said Duo, "but you gotta admit, you are kind of a nerd."

"If you mean I get good grades, then I guess I can live with that," said Wufei. He was wearing white jeans and a dark blue short sleeved t-shirt and flip-flops.

"I'm not exactly Mr. Popularity myself," said Duo, "so I wouldn't make fun of you about stuff like that."

He was wearing denim cut off shorts and a black tank top with a blue and green Hawaiian shirt flung over it, sneakers with no socks. It was spring and the air was warm for April in California. Instead of the usual braid, his hair was in a ponytail gathered at the nape of his neck. Long ravels of reddish chestnut hair hung over his shoulder and spilled onto his lap. He had to pull it over his shoulder to avoid sitting on it.

"Wow, your hair is really long," said Wufei.

"I've never cut it," said Duo. "My mom told me I didn't have to cut it when I was little, so I never have."

Wufei realized that Duo's unorthodox hairstyle was simply his way of remembering his mother. He wondered if she had had long curling chestnut colored hair like her son.

He wondered about a boy who was willing to endure the taunts of others for something that had personal meaning to him and decided the he admired Duo's stubbornness.

Besides, it was undeniably very attractive.

"You're starin' at me again, Wufei," said Duo quietly.

Wufei was glad it was growing dark because his could feel his face flush. Again. Duo and his comments seemed to have that affect on him.

"What's 'The Ring' about?" asked Wufei, changing the subject.

"I dunno," said Duo, starting the car. "Horror movies are usually short on plot anyway," he grinned. "It's like a roller coaster, all about the adrenaline rush, not the scenery."

"Interesting simile," said Wufei.

"A what?" said Duo. "You're speaking English now, aren't you?"

Wufei had to laugh. "Yes, that was English. A simile is comparing one thing to another in a creative way."

"I'm creative?" asked Duo. "I impress myself."

Duo reached over with his free hand and slapped Wufei lightly on the shoulder, then draped his arm over the back of the seat.

"Shouldn't you have both hands on the wheel?" asked Wufei, eyeing Duo's hand dangling an inch from his shoulder.

"NO backseat drivers," ordered Duo, "We'll be there in a minute."

He pulled into the large parking lot at the mall and turned off the headlights.

They got out and Duo locked the car.

"You know, I never thought to ask you if I was crowding your weekend," said Duo, as they were standing in the ticket line. "I mean, I don't even know if you have a girlfriend or someone else you'd rather spend the evening with."

"I don't have a girlfriend," said Wufei. "I'm a big nerd, remember?"

"Hey, I only meant that in a good way," said Duo. "You could have a girlfriend if you went for it."

"I thought he was your girlfriend," said a voice behind them.

Duo's head snapped around and he snarled, "Who said that?"

"I did, faggot," said rather large teenager behind them.

Duo said, "Mind your own business, fuckwad," and turned back around.

Duo suddenly was sitting on the sidewalk as the guy reached out and yanked his hair downward.

Duo scrambled to his feet. "You're gonna be sorry you touched the hair, asshole!" he yelled, clenching his fists. Wufei grabbed his arms.

"Duo, ignore him!" he said. "He's just being a prick!"

The guy smirked at both of them. "Yeah, I don't wanna ruin your date," he said.

Wufei narrowed his eyes at the young man. "I'm here to watch a movie with my friend, and he's right, you need to mind your own damn business."

"Make me," said the kid, crossing his arms. A few of his friends behind him sniggered.

"If you insist," said Wufei and he suddenly spun and kicked the taller man in the knee. He went down howling.

Duo looked stunned. "You know kung fu!" he said to Wufei, who was still poised on the balls of his feet, watching his opponent intently.

"And many other Chinese words," said Wufei tersely. "And it's tae kwan do, actually."

An man with a nametag that said "Assistant Manager" came out from inside the movie theater. "What's going on here?" he asked, looking at Wufei and Duo.

Duo opened his mouth, but a woman behind him said, "I saw it all, that guy on the ground started it by pulling this young man's hair, knocking him down and calling him a faggot," she said indignantly, her hands on her hips.

She had that 'don't mess with me, I'm a mother,' look on her face and was glaring at the man on the ground, who was still holding his knee and groaning. His so-called friends had vanished when the manager came out.

"This young man was just defending his friend," said the woman, pointing at Wufei.

"I've had trouble with him before, ma'am," said the manager. "I thought I told you and your friends to stay away from here," he said to the kid on the ground. "Now get up and get lost or I'm calling the cops."

The kid struggled to his feet and limped away, but he shot Wufei and Duo a nasty look as he left.

"I'm really sorry about that," said the manager. "In fact, I'm gonna give you two free tickets to make it up to you, what do you say?"

"I say great," said Duo, still rubbing the back of his head. The asshole had yanked out some of his hair and it hurt like hell.

"You all right, Duo?" asked Wufei as they went inside and the guy handed them their free tickets.

"My pride is a little hurt," joked Duo, rubbing his butt where he'd landed on the sidewalk hard, "and my head is sore, but I'll live.

"Let me see," said Wufei. They went into the men's room and Wufei parted Duo's hair in back. There was a bloody spot about the size of a quarter where a hank of his hair had been torn out. Wufei swore under his breath.

Wufei wet a paper towel and held it to Duo's head. "Kind of a hard place to put a band-aid," he said, taking the wet towel away and folding a dry one and pressing it to the small wound until it quit bleeding.

"Thanks," said Duo. He reached up and held his hand over Wufei's where he was holding the towel. "I can hold it," he said.

Wufei didn't move his hand. "It's okay, I got it," he said.

"We're going to miss the beginning of the movie," said Duo, "I think it's stopped bleeding."

Wufei pulled Duo's hand away, "Yes, it looks better now," but he didn't let go of Duo's hand.

"So, you like your popcorn with or without butter?" asked Duo, looking at Wufei.

"Without," he said, "that stuff is bad for you."

"I like things that are bad for me," said Duo, their eyes still locked.

"I noticed," said Wufei hoarsely.

"I can compromise," said Duo. "Without it is." He dropped his eyes and slid his hand up Wufei's arm and kept it there as they walked out of the men's room.

"Come on, you still haven't seen a horror movie."

*Ni-hao=Chinese for "Hello, how are you?" roughly"